Registration opens for Drugs & Alcohol Chat Day

High schools can now register for the 10th annual Drugs & Alcohol Chat Day, a web chat to be held on January 26, during National Drug & Alcohol Facts WeekSM, which runs from January 23 – 29, 2017. Registrations are taken on a first–come, first-served basis and are limited to about 100 schools. The event is coordinated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in partnership with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, both part of the National Institutes of Health.

YouTube embedded video:https://youtu.be/En_-0dGXD6w

Drugs & Alcohol Chat Dayis a live, online chat held between teen students and scientists during a 10 hour period beginning at 8 a.m. EST. During the event, thousands of students from high schools around the country ask questions about drugs and alcohol use, including: health effects; how to help friends or family who are using substances; and what causes addiction. Over the past nine years, more than 100,000 questions have been answered. Scientific experts from the National Institute on Mental Health also participate, to answer questions about depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues that might contribute to teen substance use. During the popular chat, scientists offer facts known through scientific research, and not judgment. See transcripts from chats from previous years.

About the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug use and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy, improve practice, and advance addiction science. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs and information on NIDA research and other activities can be found at www.drugabuse.gov, which is now compatible with your smartphone, iPad or tablet. To order publications in English or Spanish, call NIDA’s DrugPubs research dissemination center at 1-877-NIDA-NIH or 240-645-0228 (TDD) or email requests to drugpubs@nida.nih.gov. Online ordering is available at drugpubs.drugabuse.gov. NIDA’s media guide can be found at www.drugabuse.gov/publications/media-guide/dear-journalist, and its easy-to-read website can be found at www.easyread.drugabuse.gov. You can follow NIDA on Twitter and Facebook.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.